Chapter One

 "O' Sinner, I'm come by Heaven's degree, my warrant is to summon thee,

 And whether thou art prepared or no, this very night with me must go."

 - A Dialogue between Death & the Sinner

"I intend on having your debut at the ball for peace." Lilith's uncle tells her, "You will be eighteen before then; you must prepare for marriage."

Lilith flinched at the word 'marriage'. She wasn't ready to leave the duchy; she never had any intention to, but she should've known her uncle would attempt to sell her off when she turned of age. It made her blood boil. Biting the inside of her mouth, she kept quiet. It would do her no good to argue with her uncle.

"Thank you, uncle. I will prepare accordingly," Lilith states flatly as disappointment ripples through her body. It certainly wasn't the first time her uncle had let her down. If she knew any curse words, Lilith would've extensively called him every word in her repertoire.

But she remained as she always has, poised and demure, two virtues ingrained in her from an early age. At least her uncle did not deprive her of an education for which she was grateful.

Her uncle smiles without any real emotion behind it. "I'm glad. Your aunt will educate you on the various importances of marriage." He steps away from his desk and places a hand on Lilith's shoulder that she immediately wants to rip off.

"Do not disappoint me, Lilith. This is your chance to do something good for the duchy."

Bile rose in her throat the moment those words left his lips; Lilith wanted to scream. She had contributed massively to the duchy's success in recent years, having developed agriculture extensively in the south of the Valdis territory to produce hardy vegetables that can grow in some of the harshest conditions.

But, of course, a woman's purpose is to marry into a good family, and it is her turn to fulfill that purpose.

"I won't, uncle. I promise." Lilith swallows, forcing herself to hold back her rage, which is so intense that tears prick the corners of her eyes.

Bowing, she resigns herself to her fate and bids her uncle a goodnight. Then she turns on her heel and swiftly leaves the office before tears fall.

With Lilith's mind racing, she settles into her desk chair and immediately pulls out her diary, hidden beneath a false panel in one of the drawers. Now that she is safe in her bed-chamber, tears of frustration trail down her cheeks.

Anxiety takes hold as she begins to wonder who her future husband could be, an old man perhaps. Lilith wouldn't put it past her uncle to marry her to some rich old man, and the thought almost made her vomit her dinner back up.

Shaking her head, Lilith begins scribbling in her diary. She extensively details her earlier conversation with her uncle. Writing had become her only solace in a household where she is outcasted by her own family and powerless servants who can only look on as their poor lady is forced to endure it. Ten long years had passed since her father's death and her mother's subsequent suicide not long after his execution. She knew little of the small details of what transpired then and why but could still recall the emperor that day.

Arthur Regan had been there to oversee the execution; the decided method was beheading, and Lilith could do nothing but stand there on the gallows as her father was marched up onto the scaffolding; there was no fear in his eyes, as if he knew long ago the nature of his death.

Lilith felt paralyzed just thinking of that day; her memory, as sharp as it always was, included the scent of the gallows, the rot. The cold shiver she felt upon seeing the emperor for the first time, a dark presence one could not mistake for anything other than evil.

A knock at her door shakes Lilith out of her thoughts. "My lady, it's me, Francis. I've brought the guest list for the peace ball."

"Come in."

Although Francis has aged a bit, she still looks the same as when Lilith's mother died—her face is lightly lined, and her hair has streaks of grey. Still, the friendliness in her face has never left.

"Thank you, Francis." Lilith smiles, "You should turn in for the night— it is getting quite late."

The headmaid smiles and laughs. "I will, my lady. You should rest soon, too." She says before bowing and leaving.

Lilith's smile drops as she turns her attention to the guest list. All prominent families were attending, including smaller aristocratic families. She noted that her cousin would be attending— someone she certainly wasn't looking forward to interacting with.

"Oh, my dear cousin, I'm so sorry, there just isn't enough room for you." Ariel's snicker reverberates inside of Lilith's mind as she recalls one of Ariel's many tea parties that she'd purposely ostracise Lilith at; she can still remember the mocking laughter of her cousin and her cronies. "But maybe you could sit on this?" Ariel had a servant turn over a wooden wash basin for Lilith.

"It's alright. I have work to do as the heir to the duchy. I hope you enjoy your tea, cousin." Lilith had said. Being the heir to the duchy was a fact that would irritate Ariel as her father, Regef, was only an acting duke until Lilith came of age.

Back then, Lilith naturally assumed her uncle would step aside so she could inherit the duchy. How naïve she was— she never once considered the possibility of him marrying her off. Foolish.

Lilith wasn't looking forward to her cousin gloating; Ariel always did her best to irritate Lilith. She surmised Ariel must've felt inferior as a Valdis relative without the signature eyes they were known for. Regef wasn't born with the eyes, so naturally, Ariel wasn't either.

With a sigh, Lilith turns her gaze towards the window. The moon casts its light into her room, and the scenery outside her window remains as still as it always was this time of year. Lilith could feel resentment in her heart; not even nature would shed a tear for her. She wanted the world to feel the way she does—overcast and dark.

Ezekiel stared at the black and gold envelope, emblazed with the Skyvale emblem. Zhuria was at an impasse with Skyvale, a tentative easement of warfare to negotiate peace treaty terms, when he received the letter from Arthur Regan. Ezekiel couldn't help but scoff as he gazed at the fancy lettering stating he was to marry one of Skyvale's aristocrats from a prominent family if this peace treaty negotiation was to go ahead, as if they were in a position to make demands of him.

The letter contained false pleasantries and words praising his bride-to-be's family, stating that they were an essential part of the empire and that this marriage was a great honour and a symbol of peace. Ezekiel knew that Arthur despised him, so the pleasantries were nothing but a farce. 

Along with the letter was Lilith Valdis' portrait; the artist must've taken care when painting her, as she notably stood out. Lilith's gaze was intensive, her face impassive. Most portraits had the ladies painted with a small smile, but it seemed to Ezekiel that Lilith didn't care about putting on airs, it caused him to chuckle. Her hair cascaded down her right shoulder in a neat braid; the dress she wore that day was a modest deep green one with a white funnel neckline disappearing into the green at her bust.

Ezekiel read the notes that came with the portrait. It stated her birthdate, the beginning of spring. This would mean she would be eighteen just before the ball, making her only three years younger than Ezekiel—so this would be her first social debut. Rubbing his chin, Ezekiel hummed.

"Is that the letter concerning your marriage, Your Majesty?" His aide, Cardale, asked as he set a cup of tea on Ezekiel's desk. "Did they include a name and portrait?"

"Yes, her name is Lilith Valdis. It seems her debut will be at the ball this spring," Ezekiel informs his aide. He recalls the Valdis family as essentially the emperor's right hand, as they had a long history that could be considered the empire's history. They were known for helping the imperial family get where they were, but ten years ago, they were branded traitors, and the family head was subsequently executed.

Fitting that Arthur Regan intended to hand Ezekiel a bride whose family are considered traitorous, undoubtedly meant to be a disrespect towards the young Zhurian emperor, but it wasn't something Ezekiel cared about, firmly believing that a child is not responsible for the actions of the adults around them, regardless if the claims of Victor Valdis being a traitor was true or not.

"It seems that Arthur intends to humiliate me with this marriage in the eyes of Skyvale," Ezekiel muses. "How unfortunate for him; I quite like my prospective bride."

"Are you sure about this, Your Majesty?"

"I very much am. She seems lovely," Ezekiel remarked as he handed Lilith's portrait to his aide, to which Cardale raised his eyebrows.

"I don't think I've ever seen you express interest towards a woman before."

"Look at her eyes." Ezekiel pointed, and Cardale turned his attention to the portrait.

"I see, the Black Pearl, an impressive lineage, indeed."

"Exactly, and I hear she is quite intelligent." The young emperor leans back in his chair with a stretch. He didn't care much about who Arthur would pick, but he was delighted with Lilith; her family history was fascinating, and her eyes piqued his curiosity. "She would be the last of the Black Pearl, according to the rumours. Many saints felt the loss of the gods on the day she was born." Ezekiel recalls how the saints, despite being unable to hear the words of the gods they worshipped, could still feel their presence as their devotion earned them at least that much.

The Valdis family was known for giving birth to heirs of the Black Pearl, the only family it had ever happened to on the entire continent. It was speculated that the imperial family of Skyvale held disdain for the Valdis for that very reason, as it was seen as a downside that the emperor could not communicate with the gods of old. Many began to doubt the legitimacy of the empire.

Strangely enough, the Valdis family retreated to the north, leaving the empire in the hands of the Regans. No one knows why, but Ezekiel surmised they must've had a good reason to.

"Regardless, I will know for sure if I want her as empress once I see her in person," Ezekiel stated, putting his thoughts to rest, as Cardale placed the portrait back on his desk. "She'll be attending the upcoming 'ball for peace'."

Cardale snorts but says nothing.

They both knew this peace would not last long, not with Arthur Regan's greed.